TEXT: ‘Go, sell the oil and pay your debt: and you and your sons live on the rest’ – 2 Kings 4:7 THOUGHT: In Part 1, we looked at Debt, Death and the Desperation of this widow. How a bad situation got worse and was about to deteriorate even further with the imminent arrival of the creditor to take her two sons into slavery. How did this great need get turned around? She brought God into her problem God needs to be invited into our lives as He will not force His way in. God does not seem to mind if we turn to Him as a last resort when we have run out of all other options. The widow appealed to Elisha for help. Those with crippling debts, either end up talking to no one and trying to hide their problem, or to everyone as they try to borrow more money. But do they talk to God? Eventually the widow had no other direction to go in other than heavenward and it became the best move she had ever made. She acted in faith when told what to do Crying out to Elisha, I wonder what she expected him to do! Lend her some money, pay the debt...
Learn MoreTEXT: ‘Go, sell the oil and pay your debt: and you and your sons live on the rest’ – 2 Kings 4:7 THOUGHT: Just seven verses describe the amazing miracle of 2 Kings 4:1-7. Key principles lie hidden within these verses that can help us when facing financial difficulties or prevent them from happening in the first place. So that there is not too much reading I have divided it into two teachings. In this first part we will look at the debt, death and desperation of the widow who was left to pick up the pieces. The Debt The reason why they were in debt is unclear. Perhaps it was a mortgage to buy their first home, a business venture that went wrong or the payment of back-taxes. We can only speculate, but whatever the reason, the consequences had become disastrous. God’s intention for His people was very clear. He wanted them to be the lenders, not the borrowers. ‘You will lend to many nations but you yourself won’t have to take out a loan’ – Deuteronomy 28:12 (The Message). Yet He also recognised that not everyone would achieve such a lifestyle and so provision was made under The Law of Moses to safeguard lending to fellow Israelites....
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‘Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!’ – 2 Corinthians 9:15 THOUGHT: Reading the Book of Ephesians recently I was struck by the number of times Paul refers to the grace of God. Our text says, ‘Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!’ Ephesians 2:8 states that grace is the gift of God. No wonder Christians can sing enthusiastically the hymn “Amazing Grace!” Ephesians reminds us of four ways God’s grace can help us. Saving Grace – ‘In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace’ – Ephesians 1:7. ‘It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!’ – Ephesians 2:5 NLT No one deserves it, but anyone can receive it. Never think you can make it without God’s grace, the mistake the Galatian Christians were making – ‘When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace’ – Galatians 5:4 The Message. Grace keeps our feet firmly on the gospel road, helping us against any temptation to get to God any other way. Serving Grace God’s grace is given to help us function as a Christian within our church and community. The Inclusion...
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TEXT: ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ – Matthew 24:3 THOUGHT: In this teaching on “A Returning Jesus”, we will see how Jesus answered the third question His disciples asked, “What will be the sign of the end of the age?” Today’s Teaching ends with how we can prepare for the return of Christ. WHAT WILL BE THE SIGN OF THE END OF THE AGE? Jesus guided His disciples as to when the end of the age would occur. Great trouble nationally can cause Christians to wrongly think the end has come – ‘All these things must come to pass but the end is not yet’– Matthew 24:6 The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple was bad enough, but there is worse to come. So it was with WW1. I am sure that many thought that was the end Jesus referred to, especially after the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Azusa Street, California in 1904 which spread to churches throughout the world and became the impetus for vigorous evangelism. But after that WW2 with even greater casualties and destruction. Since then many more wars yet still no return of Christ....
Learn MoreTEXT: ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ – Matthew 24:3 THOUGHT: Today’s Teaching focuses on the second question Jesus’ disciples asked, “What will be the sign of Your coming?” From the answer Jesus gave them, there appear to be eight clear signs to look out for. Some concern just the nation of Israel, while others refer to worldwide events. Almost all of them have been fulfilled or are being fulfilled, so this should warn us that Jesus is coming soon and it could easily be in our lifetime. The rise and prevalence of false religions and christs – Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 24, 26 The nineteenth century in particular, saw a number of false religions gain prominence such as spiritualism, Christian Science, Jehovah Witnesses and Mormonism. The last two are particularly aggressive in evangelism. Since then Eastern religions have flooded the Western world. Many countries have also seen the promotion of secular humanism and the ‘do as I like’ attitude, regardless of the feelings and concerns of others. The main differences between true Christianity and all other religions are twofold. Firstly, religious leaders die and stay dead, but Jesus rose from the dead....
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